Thu January 16, 2014

Two At-Large Seats Open On New Orleans City Council

Candidates for several New Orleans elected offices are appearing at forums throughout the city. Some will be chosen by districts; others by voters throughout the city.

Two seats on the New Orleans City Council will represent the whole city. University of New Orleans political science professor Ed Chervenak explains:

“The importance of the city council-at-large is first that they take a more global view of the issues in the city," he said. "They’re not tied down to a particular district. And the second is that one of the council-at-large members is the president, so they act as leadership for the council.”

Both seats will appear on the February 1 ballot, along with New Orleans mayor and sheriff.

At a UNO forum for mayoral and council-at-large races, one candidate asked voters to cast ballots early, so the matter won’t be overshadowed by the Super Bowl.

That’s planned for the day after the election, and Chervenak says it’s a legitimate concern.

“This is one of the reasons actually that the mayor’s election is being moved from the spring to the fall. The state Legislature has changed the law," he said. "So this is the last time it will be held during Carnival, during the Super Bowl.”

A key mayoral forum sponsored by the Urban League of Greater New Orleans is planned for Thursday night at Dillard University.